Calling it adding insult to 'injury' doesn't barely begin to cover it. George Zimmerman legally got away with murder, now he will ask to have his legal bills paid by Florida.
Because Zimmerman was acquitted, state law requires Florida to pay all his legal costs, minus the biggest one: the fee that goes to his lawyers.
That includes the cost of expert witnesses, travel, depositions, photocopies, even that animated 3-D video that defense attorneys showed jurors during closing argument that depicts Trayvon punching Zimmerman.
That motion, he said, "is in the works."
His office is still collecting numbers, he said, but he estimated the request would total $200,000 to $300,000.
That is above and beyond the $902,000 Florida paid to conduct his trial. So call him the million dollar murderer.
Zimmerman has not paid his lawyer one penny of his legal fees. His online pleas apparently didn't cover the likely million dollars he owes Mara who bills at $400 per hour. At one point he was promising donors a hand-signed thank you note in exchange for donations. During the trial Mara said defense 'funds' were so low that he might have to declare Zimmerman indigent, who did not hold a job since being charged because he was in hiding. But it never got to that point.
It would be based on Florida Statute 939.06, which states that a defendant who has been acquitted is not liable for any costs associated with his case and, if he or she paid anything, they would be due a refund, if approved by a judge or clerk.
The money would come from the Judicial Administrative Commission, the state agency that pays the non-lawyer legal expenses of indigent defendants.
O'Mara said he would ask the judge to certify the costs he submits. He then expects the commission, which is commonly referred to as JAC, to challenge many.
"That's where the fight is," he said
Not really seeing the problem here - he can just do his
gun maker tour and make up the owed money that way. Maybe he can do paid appearances at gun shows. Come on George, think!